The ‘Sploosh’ Syndrome

Life onboard a boat, whether sail or power, is in many respects different than life on dry land. I started thinking about one way it is different when watching Ax Men on the History Channel. During one episode, the crew dropped a bolt on the ground from one of their pieces of equipment for which they didn’t have a replacement. Despite the “needle in the haystack” nature of this problem, they actually found it in the pile of logs and dirt. 

This would never happen on the water. When something goes “over the side,” it makes a brief ‘sploosh’ sound and then it’s GONE. I suppose if the object was large enough and expensive enough you could call a diver, but that is generally not the nature of the things that fall overboard.

In much the same way, our emails make a brief ‘sploosh’ sound when you hit send. Just like the things I have lost over the side in my 35+ years of sailing, they are gone. For those of us who are “new” to computers, as in we started our careers when you actually had to send written correspondence, it is frightening to think we cannot mull over the missives we create, or retrieve them from the outgoing mailbox if we change our minds or decide to add or amend to our message. There is also a lot of pressure to deal with your email quickly because there’s so much of it. I personally get over 100 messages a day that I actually have to do something with. 

What I am going to suggest is THINK before you hit send. Put yourself in the shoes of the person receiving your email. First, let me ask you if that person is going to recognize who you are by your email address of [email protected]. If they aren’t, may I suggest you ALWAYS use an outgoing signature? And yes, I’m going to suggest you use an outgoing signature EVEN on replies. (I’m aware this isn’t the default setting, but then I have always been known as a maverick.)

Let me also mention, when responding to someone always include the previous message. To me, it is bad practice to use the old message when writing a new one. But then, is it so difficult or “expensive” to take out a clean piece of electronic paper? Remember, the burden of communication is on the sender. If you are expecting others to “read between the lines,” think again. Help me out; provide a few details. Better yet, paste the whole thing into your email so I know what was said. Or is that too much trouble? 

I always enjoy the mystery of the messages with no outgoing signature AND just say “thanks!” Now I have a problem. Do I search my sent mail and see what I wrote or do I write back and ask what I am being thanked for? Also why do people with “smart phones” include the boilerplate at the end of your message that says “Sent from a mobile device?” This doesn’t excuse you the normal requirements of appropriate communication. If you choose to write messages from a device that requires you to type with your thumbs that is YOUR decision. Don’t burden others with that decision. You may also be shocked to learn you CAN put an outgoing signature on your mobile messages. I realize you may have to read the instruction manual, but you might want to make this supreme effort.

Now, if you don’t follow my suggestions, how to respond to emails is in the hands of the reader. Like me, they have a key on their computer they call DELETE; I call it the ‘sploosh’ button.

Regards, Matt